Youth Martial Arts

3-Way Neck Stretch for Combat Sports

Stretch #1 – Trap People with sedentary jobs often have a tendency to lift their chins up, slouch their shoulders, causing the shoulders to slightly elevate. This stretch will help the trap lengthen and relieve a little tension.

Stretch #2 – Scapula Another common tendency that occurs when sitting often is for your shoulders to move forward. This also occurs in athletes with a “rolled forward” posture such as a boxer, wrestler or kickboxer. This stretch properly puts the opposite shoulder in place by having the hand behind the back, and looking from the hand behind your back opens up the scapula and lets the stretch fall just below and behind the shoulder blade.

Stretch # 3 – Neck Flexors When the trap and scapula are overactive or agitated, the neck flexors are also compromised. A common way of stretching out this area is to roll your neck out and grab below their ear and above the base of the neck. This stretch will target that area and relieve tension.

– – – Recap – – – The Trap, Scapula, and Neck Flexors can become agitated from a number of things. Most common are sedentary lifestyle, a lot of sitting, and looking at a screen on a desk all day. Other common reasons include trauma and playing contact sports like wrestling, football, and kickboxing. These 3 stretches all target the posterior part of the upper “shoulder girdle” (ex: where a set of football pads would sit). Please, see your Doctor if any numbness, tingling or other issues are present.